Miss New York Has Everything

Her aunt was a nun who popped pills and did time in Narcotics Anonymous. Her father grew up during the Depression, believed he'd be the next Frank Sinatra, and ended up working in the mills. His daughter, Lori Jakiela, spent her suburban Pittsburgh childhood watching Marlo Thomas in That Girl and dreaming of New York City.Instead, she got bad talent shows, a Junior Miss contest, and college in Erie, PA, where the big attraction was chicken wings. But years later, her Big Apple dreams were still going strong. With her twenties becoming a distant memory, Jakiela answered an airline ad promising a NYC home base, high-flying glamour, and three-day layovers in Paris. The reality was a roach-filled apartment in Queens, a polyester uniform cut like a sack, and a life that wasn't quite what she imagined.

LibraryThing Review

User Review - jlouise77 - LibraryThing

This book was a fast read, somewhat funny, but not really what I expected. This story is a compilation of short stories that go in chronological order. I thought it would be more like a cohesive memoir. Not sure what I got out of reading this....Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review - PghDragonMan - LibraryThing

While the author sees herself trying to emulate Marlo Thomas in the TV series "That Girl", I see Ms. Jakiela more as a younger Irma Bombeck ("When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"). After a far ...Read full review